Unleash

Open-source feature management platform that provides feature flags, feature toggles, and A/B testing capabilities for modern development teams.

Overview

Unleash is a comprehensive feature management platform that enables teams to safely deploy and test new features through feature flags and toggles. Trusted by thousands of companies worldwide, Unleash provides enterprise-grade feature management capabilities while maintaining the flexibility and transparency of open-source software. The platform supports multiple programming languages and environments, making it suitable for organizations of any size.

Key Features

Feature Flag Management

• Simple Toggle Control: Enable or disable features instantly without code deployments
• Gradual Rollouts: Progressively roll out features to increasing percentages of users
• User Targeting: Target specific users, user groups, or demographics
• Environment Management: Separate configurations for development, staging, and production
• Feature Dependencies: Manage complex feature relationships and dependencies
• Scheduled Toggles: Automatically enable or disable features at specific times

Advanced Targeting & Segmentation

• Custom Constraints: Create complex targeting rules based on any user attribute
• Activation Strategies: Use predefined or custom strategies for feature activation
• Flexible Operators: Support for various comparison operators and conditions
• Context-Aware: Make decisions based on user context, location, or device
• Dynamic Segments: Create reusable user segments for consistent targeting
• A/B Testing: Built-in support for experiments and variant testing

Developer Experience

• Multiple SDKs: Official SDKs for 15+ programming languages
• Real-time Updates: Instant feature flag updates without application restarts
• Local Caching: Resilient operation even when disconnected from the server
• Metrics Integration: Built-in metrics and custom event tracking
• API-First Design: Complete REST API for all platform functionality
• WebSocket Support: Real-time synchronization for immediate updates

Enterprise Features

• Single Sign-On: Integration with SAML, OAuth, and enterprise identity providers
• Role-Based Access Control: Fine-grained permissions and user management
• Audit Logging: Complete audit trail of all feature flag changes
• Project Management: Organize feature flags across multiple projects
• Environment Promotion: Safely promote configurations between environments
• Change Requests: Approval workflows for sensitive feature changes

Technology Stack

• Backend: Node.js with TypeScript
• Database: PostgreSQL with migration support
• Frontend: React with modern JavaScript
• Authentication: Flexible authentication with enterprise SSO support
• API: RESTful API with OpenAPI documentation
• Real-time: WebSocket connections for instant updates
• Deployment: Docker containers with Kubernetes support
• Monitoring: Built-in metrics and health checks

Use Cases

Continuous Deployment

• Deploy code to production while keeping features disabled
• Reduce deployment risk by separating code deployments from feature releases
• Enable quick rollbacks without code changes
• Test features in production with limited user exposure
• Implement canary deployments and blue-green deployments

Product Development

• Conduct A/B tests and multivariate experiments
• Gather user feedback on new features before full release
• Implement feature gating for premium or beta features
• Control feature access based on user plans or permissions
• Manage feature lifecycle from development to deprecation

Operational Control

• Implement circuit breakers for system protection
• Control resource-intensive features during high load
• Manage regional feature availability
• Enable maintenance mode without code changes
• Quick response to production issues or security concerns

Team Collaboration

• Non-technical stakeholders can manage feature rollouts
• Product managers can control feature availability
• DevOps teams can implement operational toggles
• Marketing teams can coordinate feature launches
• Support teams can troubleshoot with feature insights

Self-Hosting Benefits

Complete Control

• Data Sovereignty: Keep all feature flag data and configurations on-premises
• Custom Integrations: Build custom integrations with internal tools and systems
• Network Security: Deploy within existing security infrastructure and policies
• Compliance: Meet specific regulatory and compliance requirements
• Performance: Optimize for your specific infrastructure and usage patterns

Cost Efficiency

• No Usage Limits: Unlimited feature flags, environments, and team members
• Predictable Costs: No per-seat or per-flag pricing models
• Resource Optimization: Scale infrastructure based on actual needs
• Long-term Savings: Significant cost reduction for growing teams
• Budget Control: Avoid vendor lock-in and price increases

Customization & Flexibility

• Custom Strategies: Implement organization-specific activation strategies
• Extended Functionality: Add custom features and modifications
• Integration Freedom: Connect with any existing tools and workflows
• Deployment Options: Choose from various deployment methods and architectures
• Data Retention: Implement custom data retention and archival policies

Installation & Deployment

Docker Deployment

# Run with Docker Compose
version: '3.8'
services:
  unleash:
    image: unleashorg/unleash-server:latest
    ports:
      - "4242:4242"
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: postgres://postgres:password@db:5432/unleash
      DATABASE_SSL: false
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: postgres:13
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: unleash
      POSTGRES_USER: postgres
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: password

Kubernetes Deployment

Helm charts available for production Kubernetes deployments with high availability and scaling.

Cloud Deployment

One-click deployment options for AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, and DigitalOcean.

SDK Integration Examples

JavaScript/Node.js

const unleash = require("unleash-client")

unleash.initialize({
  url: "http://localhost:4242/api/",
  appName: "my-app",
  customHeaders: {
    Authorization: "your-token",
  },
})

if (unleash.isEnabled("new-feature")) {
  // Feature is enabled
  console.log("New feature is active!")
}

Python

from UnleashClient import UnleashClient

client = UnleashClient(
    url="http://localhost:4242/api/",
    app_name="my-python-app",
    custom_headers={'Authorization': 'your-token'}
)

if client.is_enabled("new-feature"):
    # Feature is enabled
    print("New feature is active!")

Alternatives Comparison

| Feature | Unleash | LaunchDarkly | Split | Flipper | | ----------------- | ------- | ------------ | ----- | ------- | | Open Source | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Self-Hosting | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Enterprise SSO | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | A/B Testing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Multi-Environment | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Real-time Updates | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Custom Strategies | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Team Management | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |

Resources

• Official Documentation
• API Documentation
• GitHub Repository
• Community Slack
• Tutorial Videos
• Migration Guides